An Education
by Soxman
Summary: Even with seven years under his belt, Harry Potter still didn't understand the Wizarding World. But what if, during his first shopping trip to Diagon Alley, fate had intervened and tossed a proper mentor- albeit a very self-interested one- into his path. How would the Boy-Who-Lived's destiny have changed? AU beginning from Book 1.


AN: _Harry Potter: An Education _was the first fanfic I ever wrote. It drew heavily on a lot of themes in fanfiction I had read in the time. Perhaps that's why I now hate it with a fiery passion? When I was trying to recreate and better my writing style over my long absence, I kept coming back to the first story I ever wrote and trying to figure out how (or even if I could) I could salvage a concept that on paper wasn't half bad (in my own view). Hey, when you've had all your work torn to shreds in a hard drive crash, it's that or giving up on that work. I chose the first. So here is the beginning of a revised (and hopefully better) version of my first fanfic. I don't own Harry Potter (Obviously), and I hope you all enjoy.

Prologue: A Crisis Of Faith

-_Starts at the end of Hagrid's introduction of Harry to the Wizarding World- Chapter 6 Hp & SS_

He was walking Harry back up Diagon Alley, the purchases from the day's shopping trip weighing them down, when it happened. Hagrid was positively overjoyed at completing Dumbledore's assignment, getting the Boy-Who-Lived his letter and bringing him shopping for school supplies, with barely any difficulty. He smiled slightly, though it was hidden by his bushy beard, staring up at the clouds, feeling as if he'd proven all the doubters- McGonagall, Flitwick, Quirrell (Who even had the balls to come to Diagon Alley to check up on him)- wrong. All he had to do now was lead Harry back through the Leaky Cauldron to a train station, give him his ticket to the Hogwarts Express, and put him on a train back to his relatives in Surrey. And he was done. Except… _His relatives._

"_We Swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed," an angry Vernon Dursley had shouted at him._

Hagrid froze mid step as the memory hit him. Behind him Harry noticed his guide had stopped after a few paces. He turned, a slightly confused look on his face. "Hagrid, are you all right?"

Hagrid looked back at the small boy with him, suddenly taking in how skinny and frail he really looked. "Yeh, fine 'Arry exept 'm tired. Put yur' stuff down and take a breath'r," Hagrid reassured him, all the while being filled with dread.

They carefully put down Harry's new school things while Hagrid's head was swimming with thoughts. 'It's not like, they couldn't possibly, hurt him? Even if they detested magic (which seemed likely) they wouldn't dare hurt him! Besides, Harry's a bright lad- he can take care of himself. And anyway, good old Arabella Figg is keeping watch over him, there was no way she'd let that happen to him. Nothing to worry about; I'm just being stupid. Come on, I gotta get him back to his relatives.'He was about to beckon Harry forward again when another memory sprang to the forefront of his mind concerning his recent encounter with the Dursleys.

"_I was the only one who saw her for what she was- a Freak!" Petunia had shouted._ That memory only served to reignite his sense of distress. 'How could anyone hate Lily? How could her own sister hate Lily? It didn't matter why she did; just that she did. She thought Lily was a freak. And Hagrid remembered his own childhood, when other kids thought he was a freak. Even his dad could never quite take the sting outta that wound. And how they insulted and hated him. Because he was bigger than them, had giant's blood in him, and he was fascinated by interesting magical creatures. They hated him, and he wanted to… And by all indications Petunia was the same. And even though he was bigger and stronger than them, they still pounced like a Nundu smelling fresh meat. Which, he suspected, was for sure the Dursley's would act. Maybe, for a limited amount of time the Dursleys, would keep away from bothering Harry. But afterwards? They'd be back… just like those blasted bullies. And any notions of him sending his owl off with a letter, or going to Mrs. Figg, or whatever else seemed downright ridiculous. They could kill the owl, or really hurt him, and he'd never get a warning if they decided to do something malicious.'

'But they wouldn't hurt him, right? Right. Sure. Petunia Dursley hated magic and feared it, the same way kids hated and feared him because they didn't know him and he looked scary. But of course Harry would be fine. Not like he was already dressed in hand-me-downs that were too big for him. And he was already far too skinny. Would it really be that much of a stretch for the Dursleys to go from mistreating him to hurting him? And they didn't have to hurt him, really. They could just refuse to get him to Kings Cross; stop him from going to Hogwarts. Wasn't that bad enough? Could he really allow that to the boy who'd saved them all from Voldemort?'

'Dumbledore said this would be so simple. Go to his relatives, give him his letter, take him to Diagon Alley, and get him back in time for supper. But if he learned of Harry's circumstances, how far his relatives were willing to go to prevent him from learning magic, of the potential danger he might be in, this wouldn't be simple. Granted, he told me a little bit about the protective magics of the wards, but still, something has to be done!'

"_There is always a choice between doing what is right and what is easy, Hagrid," Dumbledore had once told him._

Hagrid tried to calm himself. 'What do I do?'

"_Facts Hagrid, Facts. Theories are nice, but what are the facts?" Dumbledore again was saying after a report on some mysterious goings-on in the Forbidden Forrest._

'Alright, I need facts. Fact: Young Harry looks quite skinny for a boy his age. Fact: Petunia said in front of me that she hates him with a passion. Fact: I don't like or trust the Dursleys. Fact:… And another memory hit him.'

"_Do you mean ter tell me that this boy- this boy!- don't know nothin' abou'- about ANYTHING!" he had shouted at the Dursley's just last night._

'There was another solid fact to go on. Harry knew nothing of the wizarding world. There were alotta kids like that, course, like the muggleborns. But they weren't being called Boy-Who-Lived, now were they? He could learn his way around, course, but… what if he learned his way from those dark families, like the Malfoys?'

_He watched through the window of Madam Malkin's as Harry conversed with a blond boy who could only be a Malfoy._

Hagrid involuntarily shivered_. _'What if Lucius had come along and hijacked the Boy-Who-Lived from him? He was Lucius Bloody Malfoy, he could do that! And then he filled Harry's head with ridiculous ideas and prejudice. Like his own blasted son; Hagrid had heard some of the things he'd said about him. Harry wouldn't know better. And he shuddered to think about Lily and James watching their son turn dark from the afterlife.'

'Well, whatever he was going to do, he'd explain to Professor Dumbledore once he got back from the ICW conference at the end of August. But for now it was on him. What could he do for Harry? And then it hit him.'

"_The Usual, Hagrid," said Tom the barkeep as he reached for a glass. _

'Tom. Good ole Tom Daniels. The friendly chap who was the barman at the Leaky Cauldron. He was sure the friendly barman would rent Harry a room. With no questions asked. And Harry didn't look that eager to go back to the Dursleys. But… well, there was a problem. As much as he liked the idea, he didn't have anyone to look after Harry. And Tom was likely to be too busy. Plus, he knew damn what young kids got up to when no one was around. No, if there was just someone he could get to watch over him, it would be fine. But… well, maybe… maybe they'd get dinner there. And maybe, by the time they'd finished, he would find a solution.'

It was a good enough plan for now. His course of action decided, Hagrid beckoned Harry to follow him. It took them five minutes to get to the Leaky Cauldron, and by then it was getting quite full, being the dinner hour and all. Luckily, the sight of Hagrid walking in ladened down with packages was normal for this time of year. They carried Harry's stuff to a booth in the corner before shunting it all of it to one side and sitting down. Tom was prompt as usual, flashing a toothless grin when he saw who his newest customers were.

After he took their orders, he leaned forward and whispered into Hagrid's ear. "There's someone here who wants to see Mr. Potter. Normally, I wouldn't men'ion it, but since you'll be here for a bit… Do you remember Ol' Professor Slughorn? The second he heard Harry Potter was here in the Alley, he flooed in; wanted ta' meet with him. Shall I send him over?"

Hagrid froze, before a startling idea came to him. Maybe… maybe… "Sure, Tom. Send 'em over. I really think Harry would like ter meet him." He vaguely remembered Slughorn from his time at Hogwarts. Never interacted much, but he seemed to be a decent sort. And if the former professor wanted to meet Harry- he always seemed like a good lad- and if he was willing… well, maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but then maybe everything might just work out.

Tom walked away, hopefully to alert Slughorn, while Hagrid leaned back, finally noticing how Harry was fidgeting. "What's on yer mind, Harry?" He asked.

"It's nothing, Hagrid," Harry reassured him with a light smile. His expression drooped slightly. "It's just… everyone today, they treated me like- like I was special. But I don't… I don't know about any of this and-"

"Neither did your mother, really. At the beginning," Harry jumped slightly and turned to see a fat, balding old man with an enormous, silvery moustache and gooseberry eyes that were staring at him attentively, standing at his side wearing an embroidered dinner jacket that probably would have impressed his Uncle Vernon. "Sorry for the scare, Harry m'boy. I'm Horace Slughorn, the former professor of Potions at Hogwarts," He declared rapidly, and quite a bit nervously, while holding out his hand. Harry stared at him for a moment, wondering what this strange person was doing here.

Finally remembering his manners, Harry reached out and eagerly shook the man's hand. "I'm Harry Potter," He replied neutrally, not knowing how to react. Though he took comfort in the fact that Hagrid seemed unconcerned. Finally, his brain caught up with him. "You- you knew my mother, sir?"

Slughorn chuckled appreciatively. "Of course I did, Harry," He chided him gently. "One of the brightest students I ever taught. And cheeky- always had an answer for everything. But she was really quite charming." He paused, staring at Harry, a sudden look of dawning understanding appearing on his face. "You- you didn't know that?"

Hagrid cleared his throat nervously, drawing Horace's attention. "Er, Harry didn' really know 'fore today, profess'er. His relatives, er, sorta kept it from him." Slughorn stared at him as if he'd just sprouted an extra head.

"Kept it from him," Slughorn repeated dubiously. "What are you talking about, man?"

"Harry's been livin' with Lily's sister an' her family, profess'er," Hagrid explained quickly. "But she, er… well, she didn' like magic."

"Ah, Petunia," Horace uttered, as if it explained everything. "Lily would have had a fit," He muttered darkly. He turned his gaze back upon Harry, who squirmed slightly. "So everything… magic, and his parents…"

"It's all new to him," Hagrid confirmed. "Didn' even know 'bout his bein' the Boy-Who-Lived 'fore today."

"Really?" Asked Slughorn, the downright shock evident in his voice. It looked like such an idea was completely alien to him. Harry was forcefully reminded of Hagrid's shock when he confronted the Dursleys: "_Yeh never told him!_" He shook his head slightly. "My word, I had no idea. To think… How are you adjusting, Harry?"

"Erm, okay, I think, thanks," Harry replied politely, still not knowing how to react. On the one hand, he was as uncomfortable with Slughorn's attention as he had been with the attention he'd received on entering the Cauldron. On the other hand, he was a lot more interested in what the former professor had to say, after hearing that he'd taught his mother. And at this point, his priority was the latter.

"Would you like ta' join us fer supper, Horace," Hagrid asked, moving down to clear a spot for him.

"I couldn't impose like that, Hagrid," Horace replied instantly. Harry thought it was simply an automatic response.

"Please, sir. I'd really like to hear some more about my mother," Harry added quickly, not willing to let the opportunity go by.

Horace glanced at him, with a slight smile on his face. "Well, all right," He agreed, sitting down next to Hagrid. "If you insist." He paused, taking the place setting Hagrid passed over. "I will say that the most memorable thing about her from regular classes is how often your father tried to get her attention."

"Re-really, sir?" Harry questioned, suddenly realizing that the man in front of him taught both of his parents. "You knew my father too?"

"Indeed I did. Never really had much of a flair for Potions unless he and his friends were playing a prank on someone. Not that he couldn't brew- he certainly could, Harry! Just lacked the proper mindset to truly excel in that field. But he was one of the best students of Transfiguration I ever saw," He commented, taking a drink from the goblet Tom had just brought over from where he had been sitting before they had arrived. "You look just like him, Harry. Except for the eyes; undoubtedly Lily's eyes," He commented with a bit of sadness in his voice.

"What was he like sir?" He asked eagerly, hungry for any more scraps of information about his parents. Slughorn smiled slightly as he began to answer.

Time seemed to melt away as Harry learned more details from Slughorn about his parents, from details on some of their friends- "Lily and Alice Longbottom were almost inseparable from the moment they stepped foot in the castle. Not surprising, of course, they were two of a kind. Still Alice always had a better head for Charms"- to some of their habits- "If Lily ever messed up a potion, I tell you full moons were more common Harry, then she'd generally be back that night, brewing away in my classroom. When she had trouble brewing a Pepper-Up Potion, she must have haunted the classroom- what?- four or five nights in a row? Sometimes her friend Severus even joined her"- to some of their exploits, "… And I've never since seen a student brew the Draught of Living Death before their NEWT years, Harry. I had to pull it away from her, though, when she mentioned she was planning to use it on your father to finally get some peace and quiet." Of course, he had to pause frequently so Harry could get a bit of background ("Sir? What are NEWT's? Pepper-Up Potion?") but the conversation almost seemed to dwarf everything else that had happened that day.

Finally, once Tom had brought their meal, the conversation steered away from them to the former professor. "So what do you do now that you're retired, sir?" Harry asked before taking another bite from his meal.

Slughorn chuckled gently. "It's the quiet life for me now, Harry. Just relaxing in my old age with the few creature comforts I've been afforded. Of course, I still keep in contact with many of my former students, but I mostly spend my days taking it easy," He replied, putting away another piece of Sheppard's Pie. He looked him over appraisingly. "Of course, I'd be happy to point the younger generation in the right direction, should you ever need help."

"Um, thank you, sir," Harry replied, not certain how to respond.

"Yeh know, Horace, since ya brought it up, I was thinkin'… Harry here, really needs some time to get used ta' our world, right? What with bein' outta it thanks to Petunia," Slughorn nodded eagerly, seemingly catching on. "And the Alley, it's the per'ect place, In't?"

"But of course, you couldn't just leave him alone," Slughorn suggested shrewdly while Harry watched on, daring to get his hopes up. "But if you could find someone responsible who'd look after him…" He turned to Harry. "Well Harry, would you like that?"

He debated it in a split second- unsurprisingly the kindly former professor won handily against his malicious Aunt and Uncle- before Harry nodded vehemently. "I'd really like that, sir."

Hagrid grinned, his assignment mostly complete. "Alright Harry, I'll go gert a room set up for you here. Since you don't know much 'bout the wizarin' world, Horace here 'll tell ya everything ya need to know."

Slughorn got up to allow Hagrid out so he could go find Tom before he sat back down. Once Hagrid had moved away, he leaned forward. "You know Harry, magic is impossible to track in the Alley. If you want, I could give you a little instruction."

"You'd do that for me, sir?" Harry asked eagerly, taken with the idea of learning some magic from the man who'd taught his parents.

"Of course, Harry. It isn't right that the savior of our world is so behind," Slughorn chided. "Not that you're any worse off than your mother was, or any other muggleborn is, but- they aren't the Boy-Who-Lived. It does change people's expectations of you, unfortunately. But you'll probably learn quickly. I mean, with all the talent your parents had, I imagine you'll be a chip off the old block. Who wouldn't want to teach a student with such potential? And as I'm no longer a professor, I'd be delighted if you called me Horace," He added just as Hagrid returned from making the necessary arrangements. Harry stayed silent, thinking about the man's offer. After a delicious desert of treacle tart, Tom came by to give Harry his room key. When they had finished, Hagrid got up to pay, and Harry formally accepted the man's offer. Once Hagrid had finished paying, he and Harry got up and began lugging the day's purchases up to his room, while Horace went to retrieve his stuff from his home.

While they were waiting for him to return, Hagrid took Harry aside to deliver a few last minute warnings. "Now Harry, a few things ya should know before I go. Keep yer wand with you at all times. It's Diagon Alley, so the Ministry can't track magic." Slughorn had already told him as much. "Only use it in an emergency or when yer sure no ones watchin', though. Maybe learn a few protective spells as well." He intended to do more than that with the former professor's guidance. "O, yeh might wanna pick up a trunk, that stuff's heavy an' bulky an' 'ard to lung 'round. Anyway, yeh should stick with Horace 'nd consult him with any questions yeh have 'bout the wizarding world. Oh, and 'eres yur ticket for September to get ya ta Hogwarts." He thrust it into his hand before hugging him gently. "Take care 'Arry. Yer a good kid." And with that, Hagrid turned and left his room.

He was sorting out his things- he really needed to buy some more clothes while he was in London- when there came a knock on the door. He set down the pile of spellbooks he was unpacking to answer the door.

Slughorn smiled back at him once he opened it. He glanced around the disheveled room before looking back at Harry. "Well, I imagine you've had a busy day, Harry. I'm going to settle into my room- Room 115, by the way- and I'll leave you on your own tonight. How about we meet for breakfast at, 10, tomorrow?"

"Sounds good, si- Horace," He finished, seeing the look on his new mentor's face.

"Right then. Have a nice night, Harry." He was about to walk away when he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, I almost forgot. Happy Birthday." He reached inside his robe pocket and pulled out a vial before handing it to Harry. "Here you go, a vial of Felix Felicis. It's a luck potion," He explained, at Harry's confused look. "Use it well," He added with a wink. "Night."

Harry shut the door before he turned and looked out over Diagon Alley, vial still in hand. He was free. Free! He could never have imagined spending nearly a year away from the Dursleys. Yesterday, he was in a rundown hut, on the run from who knows what. Today, he was a wizard; a wizard, in a completely new world, with completely new opportunities, with a former Hogwarts professor who wanted to teach him- Him!- and with no Dudley to ruin it all. He was almost tempted to run back into the Alley, just to explore, but one look at his disorganized mass of newly purchased school things his mind. He'd had enough adventure for the day. He finally put his school things away before deciding to grab one of his spellbooks- _1001 Magical Herbs & Fungi_- for some light reading before he went to sleep. He barely made it through three pages before he finally dozed off, fully clothed, the book open on his chest. His final thought was that this was officially the best birthday ever.


End file.
